Published: Monday, November 4, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, November 4, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.

OCALA -- Greyhound Lines Inc., which touts itself as the largest provider of intercity bus transportation, will be stopping service in the city of Ocala on Wednesday and will begin offering service at the Pilot Travel Center off County Road 326 in Marion County.

Today, Greyhound will service both locations to make certain passengers are aware of the transition, Greyhound spokesperson Alexandra Pedrini said Monday.

Since Dec. 15, 1998, Greyhound has leased a ticket office at the Ocala Union Station at 531 NE First Ave. from the city of Ocala, which is where tickets have been available and buses have been picking up and dropping off passengers. Now that service will be provided at the Pilot Travel Center at 4032 W. Highway 326, two blocks east of Interstate 75.

Pedrini said Greyhound has been using the Pilot location, which is north of Ocala, as a rest stop.

“Now there will be no need to make two stops five miles apart,” Pedrini said. “People could purchase tickets, buy food and board at one location.”

Mapquest says the stations are eight miles apart.

Jacqueline Brown, of Ocala, had a visitor in town who purchased a ticket for Atlanta. She was going to take him to the bus stop at the Ocala train station, but she checked in advance and learned that he had to board the bus at the Pilot station.

“It means I have to drive to (County Road) 326,” Brown said. “If you don’t have transportation, you are stuck.”

Greyhound’s lease with the city expires Dec. 31. The current monthly rent is $1,324.34 a month. The company sent a letter to the city dated June 25 saying it would not be renewing the lease. That information was placed on the City Council’s agenda of July 16 as an informational item.

“It’s a decision Greyhound made, They want to be closer to the interstate, I guess,” Mario Zarate, Greyhound’s manager at the Ocala Union Station, said Monday. “We have been at this location for 15 years.”

Zarate said the schedule would remain unchanged.

Marc Mondell, the city’s executive director of community development, said the city did not request that Greyhound leave.

“Absolutely not. To my knowledge, no one at the city asked them to leave,” Mondell said. “There has been discussion in the community and among staff whether or not that’s the best and highest use for the train depot. We talked about using it long-term for other purposes to support Tuscawilla Park.”

The city has been cleaning up the Tuscawilla Park area near the bus station in hopes of encouraging private investment.

Mondell said Greyhound did not give the city a reason for its decision to relocate.

“If there were issues with the city, they have not made us aware of them,” Mondell said.

Greg Slay, director of the Ocala/Marion County Transportation Planning Organization, said it is unlikely that SunTran, Ocala/Marion County’s public bus system, will create a bus route to bring passengers to and from the Pilot Center. SunTran inbound and outbound buses currently stop at the Ocala Union Station, where passengers can transfer to other SunTran routes or Greyhound buses.

“To our knowledge, we don’t have a large segment of population that was using SunTran to get to Greyhound,” Slay said. “Because of the distance and lack of density we would not look to add anything like that.”

He said there were “no more than three of four people a week” taking SunTran to get to the Greyhound bus.

When asked how people are supposed to get to and from the Pilot station without a car, he said, “If you don’t have a car, more than likely it’s a cab or you are relying on friends and family to do it.”

He said people currently use taxis to get to the Ocala Union Station.

“They will just be taking the cab to (Country Road) 326 now,” Slay said. “It’s the same issue we had with Amtrak.”

Ocala has lost a number of modes of transportation used by the traveling public.

Amtrak provided passenger rail service to the Ocala Union Station, but that ended in November 2004.

The city also lost air service, too.

Eastern Airlines moved its air service from Ocala to Gainesville Regional Airport in 1972. Ocala has had five different commuter air services since 1971. The last was Allegheny Commuter, which was discontinued in the early 1980s. There has been no air service since then.

Teresa Katsoufis, owner of Dee Dee’s Diner at Ocala Union Station, said the change likely will not affect her business, which is mostly local clientele.

“I only get people waiting for their bus three or four hours,” she said.

But she said she would miss those passengers because she gets “to meet everyone.”

“I still have the city buses coming in,” Katsoufis said.

Grover Gines was at the bus station on Monday. He was visiting Ocala for the second time. Moving the bus stop will not affect him because his friend will pick him up.

“She will come pick me up wherever she could,” Gines said. “I hate that they are closing it down making in inconvenient for people that don’t have a ride. They will have to call a taxi to pick them up.”

<p>OCALA -- Greyhound Lines Inc., which touts itself as the largest provider of intercity bus transportation, will be stopping service in the city of Ocala on Wednesday and will begin offering service at the Pilot Travel Center off County Road 326 in Marion County.</p><p>Today, Greyhound will service both locations to make certain passengers are aware of the transition, Greyhound spokesperson Alexandra Pedrini said Monday.</p><p>Since Dec. 15, 1998, Greyhound has leased a ticket office at the Ocala Union Station at 531 NE First Ave. from the city of Ocala, which is where tickets have been available and buses have been picking up and dropping off passengers. Now that service will be provided at the Pilot Travel Center at 4032 W. Highway 326, two blocks east of Interstate 75.</p><p>Pedrini said Greyhound has been using the Pilot location, which is north of Ocala, as a rest stop.</p><p>“Now there will be no need to make two stops five miles apart,” Pedrini said. “People could purchase tickets, buy food and board at one location.”</p><p>Mapquest says the stations are eight miles apart.</p><p>Jacqueline Brown, of Ocala, had a visitor in town who purchased a ticket for Atlanta. She was going to take him to the bus stop at the Ocala train station, but she checked in advance and learned that he had to board the bus at the Pilot station.</p><p>“It means I have to drive to (County Road) 326,” Brown said. “If you don't have transportation, you are stuck.”</p><p>Greyhound's lease with the city expires Dec. 31. The current monthly rent is $1,324.34 a month. The company sent a letter to the city dated June 25 saying it would not be renewing the lease. That information was placed on the City Council's agenda of July 16 as an informational item.</p><p>“It's a decision Greyhound made, They want to be closer to the interstate, I guess,” Mario Zarate, Greyhound's manager at the Ocala Union Station, said Monday. “We have been at this location for 15 years.”</p><p>Zarate said the schedule would remain unchanged.</p><p>Marc Mondell, the city's executive director of community development, said the city did not request that Greyhound leave.</p><p>“Absolutely not. To my knowledge, no one at the city asked them to leave,” Mondell said. “There has been discussion in the community and among staff whether or not that's the best and highest use for the train depot. We talked about using it long-term for other purposes to support Tuscawilla Park.”</p><p>The city has been cleaning up the Tuscawilla Park area near the bus station in hopes of encouraging private investment.</p><p>Mondell said Greyhound did not give the city a reason for its decision to relocate.</p><p>“If there were issues with the city, they have not made us aware of them,” Mondell said.</p><p>Greg Slay, director of the Ocala/Marion County Transportation Planning Organization, said it is unlikely that SunTran, Ocala/Marion County's public bus system, will create a bus route to bring passengers to and from the Pilot Center. SunTran inbound and outbound buses currently stop at the Ocala Union Station, where passengers can transfer to other SunTran routes or Greyhound buses.</p><p>“To our knowledge, we don't have a large segment of population that was using SunTran to get to Greyhound,” Slay said. “Because of the distance and lack of density we would not look to add anything like that.”</p><p>He said there were “no more than three of four people a week” taking SunTran to get to the Greyhound bus.</p><p>When asked how people are supposed to get to and from the Pilot station without a car, he said, “If you don't have a car, more than likely it's a cab or you are relying on friends and family to do it.”</p><p>He said people currently use taxis to get to the Ocala Union Station.</p><p>“They will just be taking the cab to (Country Road) 326 now,” Slay said. “It's the same issue we had with Amtrak.”</p><p>Ocala has lost a number of modes of transportation used by the traveling public.</p><p>Amtrak provided passenger rail service to the Ocala Union Station, but that ended in November 2004.</p><p>The city also lost air service, too.</p><p>Eastern Airlines moved its air service from Ocala to Gainesville Regional Airport in 1972. Ocala has had five different commuter air services since 1971. The last was Allegheny Commuter, which was discontinued in the early 1980s. There has been no air service since then.</p><p>Teresa Katsoufis, owner of Dee Dee's Diner at Ocala Union Station, said the change likely will not affect her business, which is mostly local clientele.</p><p>“I only get people waiting for their bus three or four hours,” she said.</p><p>But she said she would miss those passengers because she gets “to meet everyone.”</p><p>“I still have the city buses coming in,” Katsoufis said.</p><p>Grover Gines was at the bus station on Monday. He was visiting Ocala for the second time. Moving the bus stop will not affect him because his friend will pick him up.</p><p>“She will come pick me up wherever she could,” Gines said. “I hate that they are closing it down making in inconvenient for people that don't have a ride. They will have to call a taxi to pick them up.”</p>